Air conditioning system and method



Jan. 8, 1935. E, L. GARFIELD l IAIR CONDITIONING SYSTEMAND METHOD Filed Nov. 18, 1930 Patented `Ian. 8, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM AND METHOD Edward L. Garfield, Scarsdale, N. Y.

Application November 18, 1930, Serial No. 496,424 R E S S U E s'claims. (o1. 62.-176) l This invention relates in general to a system in area of the ice as it melted, and hence were and method for conditioning air, that is, controlnot able to get uniformly conditioned air. If they ling its temperature and humidity. did realize this reason for not being able to get One of the objects of this invention is the prouniformly conditioned air, they conceived no vision of an apparatus and method for condimeans or method by which such compensation 5 tioning air, employing natural ice or manufaccould be effected. tured ice. The general object of this invention is to pro- A further object of the invention is the provivide 'an air conditioning, that is humidifying and sion of apparatus and method employing natural cooling, apparatus and method employing ice by 10 ice or manufactured ice in which water is allowed which as the ice'melts a uniformly conditioned 10 to flow over or circulate around the ice before it air is produced.

is sprayed into the incoming air, and the provi- The apparatus and method will best be undersion of apparatus to discharge to waste the warmstood by direct and detail reference to the drawest water, after spraying into air, in an amount ing.

approximately equal to the water from the melt- At 1 is shown the room or place the air of l5 ing ice. which is to be conditioned. It is of course ap- A still further object of this invention is the parent that the conditioned air may be used for provision of such a system and method for conany desired purpose. At 2 -is an opening extetrolling the amount of water flowing over or riorly of the space into the open atmosphere,

around the ice as the ice melts and its surface which is controlled by means of a suitable shut- 20 is reduced in order to maintain the proper temter arrangementl to vary the amount of fresh perature of the spraying water. entering air. Air passes through this opening into lA still further object of this invention is the a chamber 4 within which is mounted a suitable Y provision with the same apparatus of a method water receptacle 5. Projected into this chamber l of conditioning air at such times as its relative and through the water receptacle is a pipe 6 con- 25 humidity, vapor pressure and the like are such as trolled by a valve 7 and having a plurality of to produce the desired cooling effect by circulatnozzles 8 directed into the path of the incoming ing and spraying water into it without cooling the air. The lowerend of pipe 6 is connected to the water. l discharge port of a suitable pump 9. The intake An important object of this invention involves port of this pump is connected to pipe 10. Ihe ice 30 the control of the amount of water flowed over cabinet or chamber is shown at 11, and is provid- .the surface of the ice before it is sprayed into the ed at the bottom with a water receptacle. The air to be conditioned, so that the cooling water water receptacle is substantially divided into a will be at substantially the same temperature as large body and a smaller body 12 by means of one the quantity of Aice diminishes. of the walls of the ice chamber. This wall is pro- 35 Another important object of thisvinvention is vided with a passage 13. The level of the smaller the provision of thermostatic means for controlwater body 12 is maintained at a predetermined ling the mechanical valve which'proportions the point by means of pipe 14 which delivers into a amount of return water going to the ice and to the drain. Within the ice chamber l1 is a perforated receptacle of the ice chamber. platform 15 upon which the ice rests. Itis noted 40 These and other objects as will appear from the that pipe 10 projects into the large water body in following disclosure are secured by means of this the ice cabinet. The cover 16 is removed when invention. y it is desired to place ice within the ice chamber.

'Ihis invention resides substantially in the com- The water receptacle 5 is connected by a pipe bination, construction, arrangement, relative lo- 17 which is submerged in the smaller Waterbody 45 cation of parts, steps and series of steps, as will 12. This pipe is provided with a control valve be set forth in detail below. 20 and a mixing valve 19. The mixing valve can Referring to the drawing, the single figure is a of course be of any of the many Well known sectional diagrammatic view of the apparatus of forms. Pipe 17 and mixing valve 19 are conthis invention neeted by a branch pipels which extends' into 50 Previous attempts to employ natural ice or the ice chamber and is provided with a series of manufactured ice in cooling and conditioning nozzles which spray Water over the ice. Pipe 7 air for use in rooms, and indeed for any use, has within chamber 4 is provided with a branch pipe largely failed because prior users did not realize 21 which connects to the discharge port of a the necessity for compensating for the reduction pump 23. This pipe is provided with a control 55 into the air are removed therefrom. The discharge end of chamber 4 is connected by pipe 26 to the intake port of a blower 27. The delivery port of this blower is connected by pipe 28 to the space 1. A suitable damper or flap valve 29 is provided to control the amount and velocity of air being discharged into the space. Pipe 28 should discharge into the space 1 near the top thereof. An air pipe 30 connects space 1 near the bottom thereof with chamber 4. At the point where pipe 30 enters chamber 4 there -is provided a suitable shutter valve 31 for con-` trolling the amount of air delivered there into. In the operation of this system air valves 3, 29, and 31 are adjusted so that the proper quantity of fresh air is being delivered into the space 1 and the air in the space is being recirculated at the desired rate. When ice is to be used for reduction of temperature and humidity in the air, valve 22 is closed and pump 23 does not operate;

valves 7 and 20 are open and pump 9 is operating as well as blower 2'7.

Water from the bottom of the ice chamber is drawn through pipe 10 by the pump 9 and delivered through pipe 6 to the sprays 8. Here the cooled water is sprayed into the fresh-air Ventering the system through the opening 2, and

the previously used air entering chamber 4 through pipe 30. .The air passesl through the spray and into discharge pipe 26 aftery passing through the eliminator or baille plates 25. With the system properly adjusted the air delivered by blower 27 into the space has the correct temperature and humidity desired. The sprayed water from nozzles 8 falls into tank 5 and drains therefrom through pipe 11 into receptacle 12 or .part or all of this returned water is shunted through the mixing valve in a quantity depending upon the adjustment of the mixing valve, into pipe 18 and is sprayed therefrom over the ice. This sprayed water flows over the surface of the ice, melting it, thus becoming cooled, and then drains into the receptacle at the bottom of the ice chamber. Drain 14 maintains the proper water level and it is the warmer water which is drawn away. Thecooling water falling from the ice is again circulated through pipe 10, pump 9 and pipe6 to the sprays 8. The important feature of this invention resides in the thermostatically or manually controlled valve 19 by means of which the water returning through pipe 17 is divided so as to be delivered to tank 12 and the sprays in pipe 18 in the proper proportion. At 100 is the thermostatic device connected by the means 101 to the mechanicalvalve 19. As shown in the drawing this thermostatic device is subjected to the temperature of the water being delivered from the receptacle\of the ice chamber to the sprays 8. Hence valve 19 is automatically adjusted tov maintain a substan of pipe 30 or at any other point in the system suitable for effecting the proper control.

As the ice melts valve 19 is adjusted so that more and more water flows over the ice and less returns directly to receptacle 12. Thus as the quantity of ice diminishes by melting, the reduction in cooling surface is compensated for by controlling the amount of water sprayed thereover. Valve 19 may be adjusted so that none of the water returns to receptacle 12,.but all of it is sprayed over the ice.

Another feature of this system is that when the relative humidity, vapor pressure, etc. of the air is at values which will` permit it, suicient cooling and humidifying of the air may be obtained, without the use.of ice. In this operation of the system valves '7 and 20 are closed, valve 22 is open and pump 23 is operated. Of course, blower 27 is also operating, although pump 9 is not in operation. The water in receptacle is then continuously circulated through pump 23 and sprayed into the air. The evaporation of the sprayed water is then sufficient to maintain a substantially uniform temperature condition, if the air being treated is at the proper temperature, relative humidity and vapor pressure.

From the above description it will be apparent that this invention recites certain principles and carried out in other ways without departure from the invention. I do not, therefore, desire to be strictly limited to the disclosure as given for purposes of illustration, but rather to the scope of the appended claims.

What I seek to secure by United States Letters Patent is:

1. In an air cooling and conditioning system the combination comprising an ice chamber having a water receptacle therein, means for circulating water over the ice in the ice chamber, means for delivering the water from the water receptacle and spraying it into air confined to a flow path, means for returning the sprayed water to the receptacle and to the means for circulating water over the ice, and automatic means for controlling the amount of water returned directly to the receptacle and the amount of water returned to the means for circulating water over the ice to maintain a constant spray water temperature. u

2. A combination as described comprising a space, the air of which is to be conditioned, said space having air inlet and outlet ports, a pipe system including a blower connected to said ports and to a source of fresh outside air, means for spraying water into the air as it circulates through said pipe system, means for collecting the sprayed water including a tank, an ,ice chamber having a water receptacle, means for delivering water from said receptacle to said sprays at a substantially constant temperature, a water spray in said ice said receptacle and said water spray in the ice chamber including control means for proportioning the amount of water delivered to the water spray in the ice chamber and the water receptacle as the area of the ice is reduced by melting to maintain the temperature oi.'v the water going to the means for spraying water into the air substantially constant.

3. In an apparatus of the type described the combination comprising means for defining a path of air flow having an inlet and an outlet, a space into which the outlet discharges, means for .said means for defining a path of air flow, anice spraying water into the air as it iiows through said means for defining a path of air flow, anl ice chamber having a receptacle below the ice, means for returning the sprayed water, part for circulation over the ice and part to the receptacle, and means controlled by the temperature of the water sprayed into the air for automatically proportioning the parts circulated over the ice and returned to the receptacle.

4. In an apparatus of the type described the combination comprising means for defining a path of air flow having an inlet and an outlet,

. a space into which the outlet discharges, means for spraying water into the air as it ilows through said means for defining a path of air iiow, an ice chamber having a receptacle below the ice, means for returning the sprayed water, part for circulation over the ice and part to the receptacle, and thermostatic means for automatically proportioning the parts circulated over the ice and returned to the receptacle.

5. In an apparatus of the type described the combination comprising means for defining a path of air flow having an inlet and an outlet, a space into which the outlet discharges, means for spraying water into the air as it flows through chamber having a receptacle below the ice, means for returning the sprayed water, part for circulation over the ice and part to the receptacle, thermostatic means for automatically proportioning the parts circulated over the ice and returned to the receptacle, said thermostatic means being subject to the temperature oi' the water going to the spraying means.

6. In a method or conditioning air, the steps of spraying cooled water into the air to be conditioned, dividing the water after spraying into two parts, delivering one part directly to a receptacle, spraying the other part over ice, varying the quantity of the part sprayed over the ice as the area of the ice is reduced by melting, collecting the part sprayed over the ice in the receptacle with the rst part, the mixture in the receptacle providing the cooled spraying water for spraying into the air and providing it at a substantially constant temperature as the ice melts, and controlling the variation of the amount ofthe part sprayed over the ice by the temperature of the water being sprayed into the air.

EDWARD L. GARFIELD. 

